Indeed, U.S.A. is not America!
America is the name of a whole continent. United States of America means that the United States belongs to America and NOT that America belongs to the United States. So, next time you want to refer to The United States of America, you can do it as U.S. or the States or whatever you want but not as only America. Gotcha?
How should I use the term America then?
Here we will show you some wrong and correct uses of the term America:
This is how we do it in America.
This is how we do it in the States.
- America is my country and I love it.
- The United States is my country and I love it.
- America lost the Vietnam war.
- U.S.A. lost the Vietnam war.
- Here in America we love Mc Donald's.
- Here in the U.S. we love Mc Donald's.
Please, note that this page in not about demonyms (gentilics) but about the way to call a country.
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Comments (1251)
My country's name, PANAMA, is a contraction of PAN AMericA. So, the United States is not the only American country that has America in its name.
Do you have links to any legitimate sources that support this claim?
This is the first legit argument for your side I've heard on this entire page.
Oh, but wait. Too bad that isn't necessarily true! It was a good theory. But I looked it up and the origin of the name Panama is inconclusive. There are several theories and, from what I read, yours isn't one.
So why can you look that up, but not the name of your own country?
“That in all continental commissions, and other instruments, where, heretofore, the words ‘United Colonies’ have been used, the stile be altered for the future to the “United States.”
The "Organization of AMERICAN States", based in Washington DC, brings together all 35 countries from America. This is another proof that America is the name of the continent.
This is simply proof that some people consider the Americas to be one continent.
And proof that they are in the Americas. We all know that the United States is very often called America, so the name of the OAS certainly doesn’t prove otherwise. Try again.
If I ever accidentally like or dislike a comment that I didn’t mean to press, can I not be allowed to unlike or undislike the stranger’s comment?
This is the simple proof that Usonians apply the demonym American to refer to any of the 35 countries in the continent called America.
In Germany we are taught the six continent model, and Amerika is a unique continent from Canada to Argentina. The same happens in France, where the continent is called l'Amerique (the America, and not the Americas). The same happens in Italy, and of course in Spain and Portugal (who coined the name America). Try to find a name for your country, but sorry... America is the name of the continent.
The topic of this website is the usage of the words ‘America’ and ‘American’ in ENGLISH. Obviously, the usage of these words in FRENCH and GERMAN is completely irrelevant to this topic because FRENCH and GERMAN are not ENGLISH.
The Spanish and Portuguese did not coin the word ‘America’.
I am still waiting for you to contribute something that is both factual and relevant to the topic of this site.
The name America was coined by the Portuguese, because they commanded German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller to draw a map of the New World, which was discovered by Spain's navigators. The Portuguese did not want Columbus to be credited, because Portuguese and Spaniards were rivals. So, Waldseemüller named the continent "America", in honor of Americo Vespucio, an Italian explorer. The name "America" was writen over Brazil. It was long before the northen part of America was explored. Sorry, baby... choose another name for your country, because America is already in use.
The topic of the page isn't the use of America or American in English. It's that the correct name of our country is United States, not United States of America. At least read the damn page before arguing about it.
“That in all continental commissions, and other instruments, where, heretofore, the words ‘United Colonies’ have been used, the stile be altered for the future to the “United States.”
Canada is in North America. According to US citizens, how can Canadians be North Americans while not being Americans?
You don't have a grasp on things here like you think you do.
The fact that billions of people in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa incorrectly refer to the U.S. as "America," is a simple testament to the degree of ignorance that prevails on Earth. The true America, which includes but is not limited to the USA, is a hell of a lot bigger, richer, and diverse than the USA alone can ever be.
Not billions, just a few hundred of millions. The only ones who got it wrong are the British, Australians and Usonians.
Switzerland is Switzerland, not "Europe." Nor is Switzerland "The United Cantons of Europe," although it is a union of cantons--in Europe. The United States of America and the United Arab Emirates (of Asia, or UAE) are the only two countries on the entire face of Earth without proper names of their own. The problem of wrongly using "America" to identify the USA is so widespread now, that it would be impossible to change that. Another crappy habit we have is that of incorrectly calling Redskins, Arapahos, Cherokees, etc., "Indians." These nasty, terrible, ignorant, habits of centuries are not going to correct themselves... unless... the U.S. were to conduct a national plebiscite in order to baptize itself. Such an important country, as the US indeed is, should definitely have a name of its own!
You need to do some research before you post.
“The United States of America and the United Arab Emirates (of Asia, or UAE) are the only two countries on the entire face of Earth without proper names of their own.”
Wrong. There is nothing that isn’t “proper” about these names. The United States of America is a “proper” name, and since no other country has this name, the name is its own. Also, I can think of at least two other countries off the top of my head that have this kind of name: the Central African Republic and South Africa. How very sloppy on your part.
I disagree on, ‘Switzerland is Switzerland, not "Europe." Nor is Switzerland "The United Cantons of Europe," although it is a union of cantons--in Europe.’ If Switzerland is in Europe, well then Switzerland is BOTH Switzerland and Europe(an). There is no reason to call them United Cantons of Europe.
I can agree on: “The United States of America and the United Arab Emirates (of Asia, or UAE) are the only two countries on the entire face of the Earth without proper names of their own”.
I am thinking of a 3rd country that should have a proper name of its own: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland! I wouldn’t be sure if it’s demonym would be United Kingdomites, Great Britainites or Northern Irelandites.
I so agree with this website. We are all Americans from Canada down to the southern tip (I am not sure what country is on the southern tip without a little research) of South America. A lot of people from the states have usurped "America" and it is commonly used to describe just us. This is not true. Mexicans are Americans. Canadians are Americans. I may not have a lot of agreement on this site, but I don't really care:)
It asks below what country I am in and it states the United States.
The word ‘America’ has multiple meanings. One of those meanings is ‘the Americas’. Because of this meaning, America is the Americas. Another meaning of ‘America’, one regularly used by billions of people in many languages, is ‘the United States of America’. Because of this meaning, America is the United States of America. This is just how language works. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it. Formal logic and set theory have absolutely nothing to do with it. Languages are not inherently and consistently logical in the way that mathematical logic is.
"America" means "las tierras de Américo" (the lands of Americo). Américo Vespucio (italian name: Amerigo Vespucci) was the explorer who realized that Columbus didn't land in India, but in a new continent. Americo never set foot on the current territory of the United States. Americo explored SOUTH America instead. The first time the name "America" appeared on a map, it was written over Brazil. So, what do the United States have to do with Americo or America?
By your “logic”, what does Mexico have to do with America? Or Guatemala? Or any country in North America? The simple answer: they are all in the Americas. This isn’t difficult.
If America is the United States, where is South America? In Texas?
No, South America is the southern continent of the Americas. This isn’t complicated.
Are you saying that someone can be South American and not be American? Are you stupid or your parents were cousins?
You're being deliberately dense. America has two meanings.